Car-coupling



(No Model.)

W. H; BORCHERS.

GAR GOUPLING.

No. 470,976. Patented Mar. 15, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM H. BORCHERS, OF PHEASANT BRANCH, VISCONSIN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,976, dated March15, 1892.

Application tiled May 18, 1891. Serial No. 393.065. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BoRcHERs, of Pheasant Branch, inthecounty of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Car- Couplers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The main object of my invention is to prevent accidents incident tocoupling and uncoupling cars manually in the ordinary manner, and incase a car is derailed and upset to automatically disconnect thesamefrom other cars.

It consists, essentially, of certain peculiarities in the constructionand arrangement of the parts composing the coupling and its connections,hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts inboth figures.

Figure lis an end elevation of a part of the coupling and a car to whichit is applied;

-and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the coupling, on anenlarged scale, showing the two parts of the coupling when connected.

A represents a draw-head, which is attached to the car in the usual orany suitable manner,

and isI formed with a recess or opening at its outer end.

B represents a hook or dog hinged at the inner end upon a cross bar orpin C, passing horizontally through the draw-head and the recess atherein. This hook projects outwardly beyond the end of the draw-head Aa sufficient distance to pass over and engage with the cross bar or pinC in the draw-head of an adjoining car and is capable of a sufficientvertical movement at its outer end to admit of its passing over saidcross bar or pin into or out of engagement therewith. It is placed inone side of the recess d, as shown in Fig. 1, the opposite side of saidrecess being open to receive the corresponding hook of the adjoiningcar. The hook is held in place in one side of the recess in the drawheadby a sleeve D, placed over the cross-bar C and bearing at one endagainst the side of the hookand at the opposite end against the insideof the draw-head.

The sleeves D are made to turn freely upon the cross-bar C, and theoffsets or engaging surfaces of the hooks are made in approximatelyvertical planes or parallel with or tangential to their movement, sothat when the train or coupling is subjected to draft the hooks will beeasily raised out of engagement with the sleeves D, which turn andthereby facilitate the operation.

E represents an eyebolt pivoted to the hook B a little inside of theouter end of the drawhead and extending therefrom vertically through anaperture in the upper side of the draw-head and affording means forraising the hook out of engagement with the crossbar C in the draw-headof the adjoining car.

To facilitate lifting the hook B for uncoupling cars,I provide a leverF, located at some convenient accessible point on the car, and connectthe same by a rod f with the eyebolt E, as shown in Fig. 1. The keeperor guide f', in which the handle of the lever is held, is preferablyprovided with a catch or projection f2, by which the lever may beengaged, so as to hold the hook B in its elevated position out ofengagement or range with the cross-bars C of the draw-heads of othercars.

The hooks B are beveled at their outer ends, as shown at b b in Fig. 2,so as to automatically pass over and engage with the crossbars C C. Itwill thus be seen that when two cars are brought together the hooks B Bwill pass by each other side by side and will automatically ride overthe cross-bars C into engagement therewith.

Springs G G, placed around the eyebolts E l between the upper sides ofthe draw-heads A and the hooks B B, hold the latter normally in theirlower position or in engagement with the cross-bars C. In casca car isderailed and IOC To uncouple cars furnished with my improved device, itis not necessary to pass between them into a position of danger; but thedisengagement of the hooks is effected by means of the levers F or anyother suitable devices which may be substituted therefor to lift thehooks. It is obvious that the levers F may be located in differentpositions on the car, wherever they will be most convenient andaccessible. On passenger-cars they would naturally be located on theplatforms. Levers or other suitable connections for lifting the hooksmay, if desired, be placed at the sides of the cars, so as to beaccessible from the ground without passingr between the cars or climbingupon them.

Various changes in the details of the device may be made within theintended scope of my invention.

My improved coupler will be found of especial advantage and conveniencein switching and making up trains, since if the operating-lever orconnections of the hook B on one of the cars to be coupled is released,so as to leave the hook free, it will operate automatically and the carswill be safely and securely coupled and held together by the single hookin case the hook on the car to be picked up is raised and held out ofoperating position. For instance, when it is desired to pick up a car ona side track the brakeman releases the lever F on the rear end of thelast car of the train, dismounts from the car, opens the switch, and thetrain then passes over, and the car tobe taken up is automaticallycoupled therewith in the manner hereinbefore explained. The train thenpasses back upon the main track, andthe brakeman closes the switch andmounts the train. Considerable time is saved, and trouble, as well asdanger, are thus avoided.

I claiml. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having anoutwardly-opening recess in the end, a vertically-swinging hook hingedon a cross-bar, passing horizontally through said recess, a rod pivotedto said hook within said recess and passing vertically through thedraw-head, and a spiral spring placed upon said rod between said hookand the upper part of said draw-head so as to hold the hook normally inits lower position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having anoutwardly-opening recess in the end, a vertically-swinging hook hingedon a cross-bar, passing horizontally through said recess and having itsolset or engaging surface in a plane approximately parallel with itsvertical movement, the opposite side of said recess being left open forthe reception of the corresponding hook on another car, a rod pivoted tosaid hook outside of the cross-bar upon which it is mounted and passingupwardly through the draw-head, a spring holding said hook normally inits lower position, and a lever connected with said rod and arranged tolift said hook, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having anoutwardly-opening recess, a vertically-swinging hook hinged in one sideof said recess on a bar passing horizontally through the same, theopposite side of said recess being left open for the reception of acorresponding hook on another car, and a sleeve mounted and capable ofturning freely upon said bar and bearing at one end against said hookand at the other end against the inside of the draw-head, said hookhaving its offset-or engaging surface in a plane approximately parallelwith its Vertical movement and arranged to engage with the sleeve on thecross-bar of a corresponding coupling, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having anoutwardly-opening recess in the end, a vertically-swinging hook mountedin one side of said recess on a bar passing horizontally through thesame, the opposite side of said recess being left open for the receptionof a corresponding hook on another car and the oiset or engaging surfaceof said hook being in a plane approximately parallel with its verticalmovement, so as to be readily disengaged from the crossbar of acorresponding coupling when subjected to draft, and having its endbeveled so as to automatically pass over said crossbar into engagementtherewith, and a sleeve mounted and capable of turning freely upon `saidcross-bar and bearing at one end against said hook and at the oppositeend against the inside of the draw-head, so as to hold said hook inplace and to facilitate the disengagement of the hook of a correspondingcoupling, substantially as an d for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM l-I. BORCIIERS. lVitnesses:

CHARLES M. MORRIS, W. W. MORRIS.

IOO

